On December 13th, 14th and 15th We Will Return With Our Crowd Favorite........ Rudolph’s Tale:A 1964 Christmas!

Journey back to 1964 for a nostalgic look at a holiday classic…with a comic twist! Rudolph and his merry ‘misfits’ investigate the real meaning of Christmas spirit vis-à-vis family relationships, grouchy elves, sinister Santas, and the ‘abominable’ pains of adolescence. Bumble’s not just a name for monsters in this hilarious satire!

RUDOLPH will be part of a double feature! Boo Arts will be presenting 'IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE' in tandem with our 'Rudolph'! Two Classic Shows, together for an amazing Christmas experience.

How I love a New York City Christmas. Not just for its twinkle lights, egg nog, or general sense of merriment that overcomes all the locals. What I most appreciate is the sense of nostalgia that takes over the city. It may be the one time of year where tradition runs deeper than trend, smiles are more frequent than smirks, and the old out-fashions the new. That said, you can imagine my excitement of viewing my favorite childhood Christmas movie, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, as a live theatrical performance. Talk about an early Christmas present!

Founded in 2010 by Laura Leopard and Victor Barbella, Gotham Radio Theatre is inspired by the Lux Radio Theatre of the 1930’s and 40’s. The audience is treated to a unique experience of actors and sound artists performing live in vintage radio style. On December 4th, 2011, Gotham Radio Theatre presented “Rudolph’s Tale: A 1964 Christmas” at the Upper West Side’s theater, The Triad. If you’ve turned on the TV during the month of December at all in the past fifty years, you’re sure to have seen the tried-and-true classic cartoon, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Now imagine Rudolph and the gang…Yukon Cornelius, Hermey the Dentist, the lovely Clarice, Mr. and Mrs. Claus…all being brought to life by the voices and Foley sound effects of the members of Gotham Radio Theatre! There were moments throughout the show when I blinked, and could have sworn I was listening to the actual 1964 version of the movie!

The talented ensemble displayed their versatile talent by performing several different roles each, shifting voices and characters so dramatically it would have been virtually impossible to know it was the same person speaking had you not seen it with your own eyes.

Along with performing the Rudolph Tale, actors also re-created vintage commercials from the sixties. Some of my favorites included: Shake-N-Bake, Alka Seltzer, and Frosty Flakes. In the words of Tony the Tiger…“They’re greeaaaattt!” The commercials, show, and incredibly gifted group of actors and actresses that make up Gotham Radio Theatre, that is!

As if that weren’t nostalgic enough, the show ended with the ensemble leading the audience in a jubilant round of the famous carol, you guessed it, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. On the last line of the song, I couldn’t help but shift my focus away from Rudolph’s red nose onto the fine folks of Gotham Radio. With talent like that, “you’ll go down in history”. Bravo, Gotham!

STARRING GOTHAM FAN FAVORITES.......

Vince Trani as Yukon Cornelius and Burl Ives

Vince Trani* is glad to be back at GRT where he has appeared in Redheads and Bohemians,Sorry, Wrong Number, Hound of the Baskervilles,Idiots’ Delight and No Time For Sergeants and Rudolph’s Tale. Vince was in the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera's revival of Kismet and sang Faust in the First National Tour of Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera. He played Sancho Panza in twelve productions of Man of La Mancha and has worked at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, Cincinnati Playhouse, for Disney Entertainment Productions and the New York Shakespeare Theatre. Vince is a founding member of the Project Rushmore Theatre Company, where he recently appeared as Al Lewis in The Sunshine Boys, The Fool in King Lear and Creon in Medea.

Jill Ahrold as Mrs. Claus & Clarice

An avid fan of classic radio shows, Jill Ahrold is thrilled to be a part of this unique theatrical experience. Theater credits include: Feign’d Courtesans, Anthony & Cleopatra, Much Ado about Nothing, School for Scandal (Queen’s Company); Twelfth Night (Jean Cocteau); Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare in the Schools); As You Like It (Spontaneous Shakespeare Sundays); as well as many staged readings with Instant Shakespeare. Jill is the Artistic Director and Founder of Imagine Me Kids, a theatre, media and film education organization for youth www.imagineme.org

Victor Barbella as Hermie

Victor Barbella*,* a founder of Gotham Radio Theatre, is thrilled to be onstage once again in the cast of Rudolph's Tale: A 1964 Christmas.His theatre credits include the title role in Anatol at London’s Lyric Theatre, Beirut at George Street Playhouse, Indians (directed by George Faison) at McCarter Theatre, Women of Manhattan at Greenwich Street Theatre,Suicide, Anyone? at 45th Street Theatre, The Country Girl at Fleetwood Stage, A View From the Bridge at Oldcastle Theatre in Vermont and Side Man at Stamford Theatreworks in Connecticut. His film and television work includes Law and Order, the ABC soap Loving, short films, independent films and commercials. For Gotham Radio, Victor has appeared in Fallen Angels, Lady WIndermere's Fan and-as Madame Arcati-in Blithe Spirit.

Laura Leopard As Rudolph

Laura Leopard*, a founder of Gotham Radio Theatre, last appeared for GRT as Lucy Warriner in The Awful Truth for GRT in the NYC International Fringe Festival. She is excited once again play Rudolph and participate in all the reindeer games! From Nashville, Tennessee her credits include An Ideal Husband, at The Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, Quartett at BAM (the Brooklyn Academy of Music), Amadeus at the prestigious Barter Theatre in Virginia, and Claire in Proof at Mill Mountain Theatre in Virginia. Favorite roles include, Mary Queen of Scotts in Mary Stuart, and Nan/Lina in Three Days of Rain, and for GRT, Joanna and Monica in Present Laugher and Elvira in Blithe Spirit.

William Bailey As Santa

William C. Bailey appeared in the John W. Engeman Theater's Damn Yankees (team owner Welch), Dial "M" for Murder, and Sound of Music. Other regional: Music Man (Harold Hill), 1776 (Richard Henry Lee), Crucible(Rev. Hale), My Fair Lady (Freddy), Bus Stop, Peter Pan, Floyd Collins. In NYC: readings of Ella Minnow Pea, directed by Joe Calarco; No Time for Sergeants for Gotham Radio Theatre; Dark of the Moon, King Lear, and All My Sons for Project Rushmore; Julius Caesar (Casca) for Hudson Warehouse; Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick) and Romeo and Juliet (Friar Lawrence) for Spontaneous Shakespeare; Tempest (Stephano) and Winter’s Tale (Autolycus) for Instant Shakespeare. William assistant directed Vermont Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night and directed Lovehandles Off-Off-Broadway, as well as Project Rushmore’s readings of Arcadia, Tempest, New York Idea, Pavilion, andEleemosynary. William served as artistic director of DeSoto Family Theatre, 2003–2005.

Our Director Sydnie Grosberg Ronga

Sydnie Grosberg Ronga has adapted and directed most of Gotham Radio Theatre’s productions. Most recently she directed Valhalla for the Project Rushmore Theatre Company. Sydnie is co-founder of Max & Louie Productions, and directed their critically acclaimed productions of he Violet Hour, It Had to Be You and The Lady With All the Answers. As Associate Artistic Director of The Phoenix Theatre Company, she directed Boy Meets Girl, Alone At The Beach, and The Nerd.Ms. Grosberg Ronga directed Branislav Tomich’s one-man plays; Blue Lanterns which had a highly successful run in New York fall '09, and Café God which played in NYC, St. Louis and won a Drama Logue Award in Los Angeles. Sydnie has worked with Manhattan Class Company and The Women’s Project. An acting teacher and coach, Sydnie was born in St. Louis. She is a graduate of Webster University.